Whole Schools, Whole Communities, Whole Child

The Whole Schools, Whole Communities, Whole Child (WSCC) model combines and builds on elements of the traditional coordinated school health approach and the whole child framework. This new model calls for greater collaboration between health and education to improve each child’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development. It incorporates the components of a whole child approach to education and provides a framework to address the interdependent relationship between learning and health. Each child deserves to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged in their school and community. Community strengths can boost the role and potential of the school, but areas of need in the community also become reflected in the school, and as such must be addressed.

Health Education: teaching children about the factors that can influence their health, and how to make lifelong healthy choices.

Physical Education: building strong and capable adults who understand the importance of continued physical activity throughout life.

Health Services: providing a clean and safe school, emergency care for students, illness prevention, and education on primary health care throughout life.

Nutrition Services: ensuring healthy meals for all students and all needs, and education on nutrition at home and in the community, from farm to market.

Counseling, Psychological, and Social Services: maintaining mental, emotional, and social health.

Healthy and Safe Physical Environment: creating comfortable surroundings that support learning and good health

Healthy and Safe Social Environment: for the emotional well-being of every student.

Health Promotion for Staff: fostering positive attitudes toward health in teachers and school workers so that they become role models for students.

Community Involvement: so that schools can accomplish more in education and health, and communities can learn more about leading a healthy life.

Family Engagement: because learning does not end at school, and because the most important influences on a student can be parents.